you're watching bbc news with me, carrie gracie. the headlines... brexit countdown — in just a few hours' time, the uk will be leaving the european union after 47 years. the prime minister will hold a cabinet meeting in sunderland — the first place to officially back brexit — and he will make a speech saying brexit is not an end but a beginning. but the issue is still dividing opinion. finally, so happy. i am so happy it is finally done and they are finally listening to what we want. is finally done and they are finally listening to what we wantli is finally done and they are finally listening to what we want. i have falle n listening to what we want. i have fallen out with people over this. i don't think those friendships are going to come back. and we'll be hearing from scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, in the next hour. and our other main stories — the world health organization

declares the coronavirus a global emergency as the outbreak continues to spread outside china. more than 80 britons on an evacuation flight from wuhan are due to arrive back in the uk at lunchtime. the second men's australian open semifinal is under way — dominic thiem faces alexander zverev in melbourne, for the right to face novak djokovic in the final. good morning and welcome to the bbc news at nine. after three and a half years, and countless discussions and debates, the uk will be leaving the european union after 47 years in just a few hours' time. it will officially happen at 11 o'clock tonight — midnight in brussels.

the prime minister is due to make an address to the nation later in which he'll say this is not an end but a beginning. there will be planned celebrations and protests throughout the day, reflecting the divisions brexit has created. however, the uk is to continue following eu rules and paying into its budget during a transition period lasting until the end of the year. period lasting until well, let's get some more detail now on what will be a historic day as the uk leaves the euopean union. this afternoon, the prime minister will hold a meeting of the cabinet in sunderland — the city that was the first to back brexit when results were announced after the 2016 referendum. supporters of the european union are expected to take part in a procession through whitehall at around 3pm this afternoon to, as they put it, bid a fond farewell to the union. and then tonight, at 9pm, brexit supporters will gather in parliament square for a rally and celebration. buildings along whitehall will be

lit up and union flags will be flown in parliament square. and tonight a clock will be projected onto downing street and begin counting down to the moment the uk leaves the eu. at around 10pm, the prime minister will publish a recorded video message to the nation. at "pm, the uk will leave the european union. however, big ben will not chime to mark the moment due to ongoing renovation works. well, tonight, the prime minister is expected to try and speak to both sides of the brexit divide in a video message. he'll say, "ourjob as the government, myjob, is to bring this country together and take us forward. and the most important thing to say tonight is that this is not an end but a beginning." he will say, "this is the dawn of a new era in which we no longer accept that your life chances, your family's life chances, should depend on which part of the country you grow up in." and the prime minister will finish by saying, "this is the moment when we begin to unite and level up." let's get more now on the historic day ahead from our correspondent, helen catt.

we've had brexit dates set before, but as the union flags flying in central london and the specially minted 50p coins now in circulation suggest, today really is the day that the uk will leave the eu after 47 years. whether you love brexit, loathe it, or are somewhere in between, it is a significant moment. make no mistake, it is a massive day and it's a massive day because, as of 11 o'clock here, 12 o'clock in brussels, we don't get to stop brexit, it's done, we are not a member state. we cannot rejoin without going through a very complicated process. and at the end of the year, if transition ends then, real practical effects will kick in. we are in the beginning, actually, of a new chapter in britain's history. there are lots of opportunities for us outside the european union. there are commercial and economic opportunities. but it's also the case that there is a chance for us as a country to come together,

to recognise that many of the people who voted to leave, many of the areas that voted strongly to leave, felt that they had been overlooked and undervalued, and now it's time to bring our country together. in brussels, british meps have already packed up. theirjobs will no longer exist. but we are unlikely to notice much change overnight. the uk will keep following eu rules until the end of december as the government negotiates a new trade deal with europe. negotiations are likely to begin almost immediately. the government wants them done by the end of the year — a date the eu have signed up to as well. talking about security and fairness and the movement of people and then the centrepiece will definitely be this big trade deal. so it's a massive undertaking and it's also very different from a normal trade deal because usually we are trying to build bridges and trying to come together and find equal ground. but in this case, we are diverging to some degree. from tonight, the uk will also be free to negotiate its own deals

with other countries and parliament will soon start the process of deciding on what should go in the new laws that will be drawn up to replace eu ones. mps will be busy though. they will need to pass a lot of legislation in time for nextjanuary. helen catt, westminster. today's front pages are all focused on brexit. let's take a look at some of them. the pro—brexit express has a special souvener edition announcing, "yes, we did it". the remain supporting guardian carries a picture of a sand castle by the seven sisters cliffs on the south coast, and says brexit is the biggest gamble in a generation.

the scottish daily mail strikes an optimistic note — hailing a new dawn for britain. scotland voted in favour of the uk staying in the eu by 62% to 38%, but the uk as a whole voted to leave. the telegraph reports borisjohnson will tell the nation that brexit is not the end but the beginning of a new era. the i is less optimistic, describing the event as a leap into the unknown. and the times looks to the next stage of the process, securing a trade deal with the european union. it reports the prime minister will be trying to secure one sinilar to the one the uk has with canada. our political correspondent, iain watson, is in westminster. iran i ran through the front pages but of course they express the divisions felt across parliament and across the country. that is right. it is interesting, i think, the country. that is right. it is interesting, ithink, that the country. that is right. it is interesting, i think, that the official celebrations tonight will be relatively muted. there will be a countdown clock on the wall of downing street, some buildings lit

up downing street, some buildings lit up in red, white and blue, but certainly an avoidance of triumphalism. there will be an official celebrations or indeed commiserations, the position of pro—eu people this afternoon and an address in parliament square with nigel farage tonight. what is interesting too is when the prime minister and his cabinet meet in sunderland, leave supporting area, his message will not so much be about brexit, but talking about national renewal. the phrase he uses time and again, levelling up, bridging the north — south divide, trying to get on to the domestic agenda. picking up from the conservative slogan which i am sure helped win them the election, get brexit done, look at these new opportunities, picking up a wariness by some people, frustration, that after three and a half years since

the referendum, brexit still was not completed. now saying, yes, lots of other things to talk about too. nonetheless, a speech from the prime minister next week focusing on the issue of trade because clearly we will still be following eu rules until the end of december, in the transition period, and the biggest challenge will be trying to get the trade deal in that time, but also parallel talks with america and perhaps other countries too. thank you. we will talk to you again later. now over to brussels to talk tojenny hill. later. now over to brussels to talk to jenny hill. what later. now over to brussels to talk tojenny hill. what is the mood there? rather sombre. a little earlier, we saw meps from the brexit party walking out of the european parliament behind me here for the very first time led rather jubilantly by a scottish piper and ann widdecombe. it is what they have been campaigning for. fair to say they are very much the only ones celebrating here in brussels. a

little later the unionjack celebrating here in brussels. a little later the union jack flag will be taken down here and there is a great deal of sadness around that. that is of course because the eu is losing an important economic and political partner, people are also rather affectionate towards the uk. among them of course, the president of the eu commission who spoke of her sadness at this moment. of the eu commission who spoke of her sadness at this momentm of the eu commission who spoke of her sadness at this moment. it is a very emotional day. first of all, i wa nt very emotional day. first of all, i want to pay tribute to all the british citizens in the eu who over half a century almost contributed to the eu and made it stronger and it is the story of old friends and new beginnings now. and therefore it is an emotional day, but i'm looking forward to the next stage. an emotional day, but i'm looking forward to the next stagelj an emotional day, but i'm looking forward to the next stage. i think the other reason for the rather subdued mood not just the other reason for the rather subdued mood notjust in brussels but across a lot of other european capitals is the fact that as of

tomorrow morning the negotiations will in effect get going. we know the actual negotiations over the future trade deal between the eu and the uk are not likely to get under way until march. but as of next month, tomorrow morning, the eu will start trying to pull together member states, actually, the work has started already on that front, to try to make sure they have a united front in the negotiations, which are expected to be very difficult indeed. a lot of scepticism in europe's capitals as to whether the trade deal can be struck by the end of the year which is of course britain's deadline. it is going to be very complex, likely to be pretty difficult, pretty tense. here in brussels, berlin, paris, a lot of people very sad britain is leaving, although some are i think it is fair to say heaving a sigh of relief that at least the end of a very long and bruising brexit process is finally here. but there is sadness nonetheless and there is i think a

degree of trepidation about the months that lie ahead. many thanks. and at 11.30 this morning, we'll be answering your questions on brexit. you can tweet via the hashtag bbc your questions or email yourquestions@bbc. co. uk. 83 britons and 27 foreign nationals, all trapped in wuhan, currently on board a flight destined for the uk. it's expected to land at around 1pm today at raf brize norton in oxfordshire. uk citizens will then be bussed to arrowe park hospital in the north east for two weeks' quarantine. the foreign nationals, thought to be spanish, will fly on to spain. currently the death toll in china stands at 213. 9,100 are infected across all regions of china. infections have crept up

to 130 around the globe. the united states has upgraded its advice to citizens, telling them not to travel to china. the world health organization has declared the outbreak a global emergency. simonjones reports. finally heading home. we have been evacuated. my mother was here behind me. my wife. the chinese authorities have... one of 83 britons and 27 foreign nationals on this flight. their departure to prise dalton delayed by several hours to allow as many as possible to get to the airport following some confusion for mixed nationality families —— brize norton. i am mixed nationality families —— brize norton. iam natalie... she is british but her son has a chinese passport. they got a last—minute message from uk officials. they called us about 20 minutes ago and said that there is a good guarantee

they will allow jamie on said that there is a good guarantee they will allowjamie on the plane. for otherfamilies, the they will allowjamie on the plane. for other families, the call came too late. adam who has a chinese wife and a newborn baby remains in wuhan. the foreign office said there might be another plane, we might be to get on a plane, and eu partner. we have something like that maybe can happen. we don't know yet. here at the foreign office, there will be at the foreign office, there will be a sense of relief that they have managed to fly the first british citizens out of wuhan. there had been a sense of anger among some of those stranded that initially the advice from officials here was they should leave of their own accord even though much of the area was in com plete even though much of the area was in complete lockdown. those flown home will be taken to arrowe park hospital on the wirral. they will spend 1a days in quarantine in former staff accommodation blocks. the world health organization has 110w the world health organization has now declared a global emergency but

it has stressed this unprecedented outbreak was being met with an unprecedented response. simonjones, bbc news. let's speak to caroline davies who is at raf brize norton. what information can you add? you have mentioned earlier there are 83 british nationals and 27 foreign nationals on board the flight. we we re nationals on board the flight. we were originally told a much higher number of 150 british nationals and 50 eu nationals. the reason why it is much lower is not entirely clear at the moment. we have heard of people being worried families would be split up if they had chinese passports or dual nationality and issues trying to get to the airport. there are health screenings along the way. not entirely clear although the way. not entirely clear although the foreign office has 150 was their upper expectation of the number of people that would be on board the flight. people that would be on board the flight. the people that would be on board the flight. the flight people that would be on board the flight. the flight is currently making good progress, expected to land around 12:40pm, currently over

eastern russia. we understand that when the plane arrives here, they will be taken from here to the wirral, to arrowe park hospital, where they will be put into staff accommodation, separate to the hospital, and kept quarantined for 14 hospital, and kept quarantined for 1a days. hospital, and kept quarantined for 14 days. many thanks. more from you later. let's talk to our correspondent robin brant who joins me now from shanghai. 0bviously, announcement overnight from the world health organization, what impact does it have on china? the chinese did not want it. the head of the world health 0rganization was here a couple of days ago meeting senior officials including the president and he was full of fulsome praise for the chinese effort to try to contain the spread of the disease notjust in china but beyond. he agreed with chinese officials and saying he did not think foreign governments should be trying to get people out like the british are doing. nonetheless, two days later, we have the declaration

from the who that it is indeed a global emergency now and they were at pains to stress it wasn't about criticising what china is doing, the who believes there is more concerned about this virus spreading countries may be in the developing world and parts of africa they do not think have the medical infrastructure to deal with it. last half an hour, we have heard from carrie lam, most senior politician in hong kong, an insight into how they regard the virus, how concerned they are. schools will remain closed until the beginning of march. as if hong kong needs any more of a blow to its economy, currently in a recession, but the city will be essentially shut down as far as schools are concerned for another month. thank you for that from shanghai. we will come back to you as and when. peter drobac, global health physician and director of the skoll centre for social entrepreneurship joins us now. thank you for talking to us. what is your assessment at this point? the

who announcement, still a lockdown across hubei province. clearly, we see a really continued and rapid rise in the number of infections, tenfold increase over the course of the last week. the who declaration yesterday signifies some concern about the potential for spread outside of china. it will do some really important things. one of the areas of concern would be for the spread of coronavirus to countries with weaker health systems that might not have the ability to contain an outbreak in low and middle—income countries on the declaration would unlock resources and coordination to prevent that from happening. it will also probably lead to further travel and trade restrictions that could have negative economic impacts. in terms of the actual spread of the virus itself, we now know of human— human transmissions outside of china, but at this point, thankfully, no deaths outside of china, is that giving

doctors grounds for reassurance? outside of china, is that giving doctors grounds for reassurance ?|j doctors grounds for reassurance?” think so. it is certainly heartening to see, despite the few isolated cases of human to human transmission, we are learning about how transmissible this particular virus is, but thus far, the containment efforts in several countries outside of china have really borne fruit and we have not seen deaths is certainly cause for some degree of optimism. the uk obviously advising its citizens not to go to china unless essential, now joined by the us, and other countries, russia having closed its border force and kilometres long with china, do you think these are proportionate measures? -- 4000 kilometres long. the rapidity of which things have spread, appropriate level of concern and i think at this time particularly because it is a new virus, we are still learning about it, the dynamics of this particular

pathogen, and the degree of uncertainty and calls for an aggressive response. going back to developments inside china, we saw the who very keen to emphasise that the who very keen to emphasise that the declaration of a global health emergency was not a criticism of chinese efforts, as you watch the effort going on still inside china, massive lockdown across the province around wuhan, tens of millions of people, do you think the chinese are doing what is necessary? it is really a n doing what is necessary? it is really an unprecedented response when you step back and think about the fact essentially about 50 million plus people have been isolated. it is impossible to imagine that kind of effort being made successfully in the uk or the united states. really aggressive effo rts united states. really aggressive efforts to be applauded and i think it is worthwhile to bear in mind that doctors and nurses and health workers in china working day and night to contain the epidemic and all of us around the world owe them all of us around the world owe them a debt of gratitude as well.

positive note to end on, thank you for joining positive note to end on, thank you forjoining us. pleasure. back to brexit. history will be made tonight at 11pm, but for the time being, it's going to be business as usual. the uk is to continue following eu rules and paying into its budget during a transition period lasting until the end of the year. later, the prime minister is due to make a speech to the nation later in which he'll say this is not an end but a beginning. there will be planned celebrations and protests throughout the day, reflecting the divisions brexit has created. let's get more detail now on how, and when, things might change. tim muffett is by the white cliffs of dover for us this morning. good morning. one of the world's busiest ports, 10,000 trucks make their way into and out of the port every day. some 90,000 passengers. come 11 o'clock tonight when the uk leaves the eu, how will they be

affected ? leaves the eu, how will they be affected? what leaves the eu, how will they be affected ? what impact leaves the eu, how will they be affected? what impact will that be if any? delighted to bejoined by experts this morning, sarah, personal finance expert, simon calder, travel editor of the independent. what will change at 11pm? exactly nothing for british travellers to europe until the end of the implementation period which is the end of 2020. starting with your passport, you will not need to get a new one. this is going to be valid up to and including the date of expiry, at least until the end of 2020, no need to get a new passport. after that, it will continue to be a valid british travel document, even though it will not have the eu power. by the way, if you are hanging on fora power. by the way, if you are hanging on for a blue passport like the old ones, although it is actually black, that will not be happening just yet. they will start issuing them soon. in terms of driving a big concern for many motorists heading from here to

calais and dunkirk, your driving licence stays completely valid all the way through europe. it may be from 2021 onwards, you will require a couple of international driving permit is to get from here to france to spain. european health insurance cards, that stays absolutely valid again until the end of the year for treatment in public hospitals in europe free of charge, usually. and roaming, you will be able to roam like at home. look, a picture of my cat, freya, and she will be able to travel to europe on exactly the same terms as normal until the end of the year, as can dogs and ferrets, but after that, you will have to do some ha rd after that, you will have to do some hard work. seamless link into pet passports. the implementation period, to the end of the year, are you worried about what will happen after that for travellers? in a sense, after that for travellers? in a sense , you cannot

after that for travellers? in a sense, you cannot be worried because it will all be taken care of. but there will be a lot more red tape, particularly for business travellers. the government just particularly for business travellers. the governmentjust said yesterday, you will need carnet to ta ke yesterday, you will need carnet to take equipment abroad. you will need a green card to extend motor insurance for europe. lots still to be decided. thank you. quick chat to sarah, when it comes to the uk citizens living in the eu, will things change for them after 11 o'clock tonight? like travellers, nothing will change tonight and everything stays the same until the end of the year. the questions on ex pats end of the year. the questions on expats relates to things like health ca re expats relates to things like health care and whether the state pension will increase with inflation and whether they will have the right to stay. the good news is anybody who moves by the end of the implementation period will get to stay and keep the rights the whole time they are there. the question thatis time they are there. the question that is what happens to people who

move afterwards. the exception is ireland because there are existing rules around ireland in place before the eu which means you still have the eu which means you still have the rights even after implementation. pensioners is complicated but will british pensioners in the eu be affected? will there be changes impacting them? two things with pensions. the private pensions side of things, some questions to be ironed out. questions about whether or not uk pension companies can pay someone in another country. those will have to be agreed through negotiations or pension companies themselves will have to sort it out. but they will get in touch with people if they need to change anything. in terms of the state pension, the triple lock is the key. other men, if you have a uk pension, your pension rises with prices, wages, or 2.5%, whatever is highest. in some countries, if you move, your pension is frozen on the day you move. the question whether that will happen within the eu after the implementation period or whether there will be something arranged

through the negotiations. some great pictures at the moment of the coastline, historic part of the country, and, simon, what will you be doing at 11 o'clock? almost in calais, catching the very first ferry to leave the uk when we are still in the eu but arrive in europe afterwards. i get into calais at five past midnight, theirtime, five plus 11 our time. nothing will change, i hope. historicjourney. thank you. sarah, thank you. one of the world's busiest ports, nothing changing after 11 o'clock, but at the end of the year, after the transition period, there may well be plenty more changes. thank you. let's look at the changes now. the implications of brexit on trade negotiations with the eu and of course with the us. sam wilkin is the managing editor of the business media organisation mlex. he's in our brussels studio.

the hard choices come now. absolutely. as your correspondence had earlier, very little has changed at the moment. the uk will remain subject to eu laws, to the authority of the european court ofjustice, all that happens is we lose representation at eu institutions. the negotiation starts now to what our future relationship will be with the eu, the government has said it wa nts to the eu, the government has said it wants to divert from the eu and to seek other trade deals elsewhere. one of the deals would be with the us, the world's biggest economy, it would be a big prize. the issues are the us and the eu have different policies on many issues and they will want alignment from the uk which could drag the uk in different directions and we —— and if we move towards the us, we will lose alignment with the eu. difficult

balance to walk to avoid losing on both sides. business interests, are they lining up behind different positions on this? finance voices, farmers voices, fishing voices, manufacturing, are there clear divides as to which sector wants what? great majority of businesses and all of the big business organisations in the uk have calls for close alignment with the eu, our biggest trading partner by far, the closest geographically which is very important in terms of trade, at least in goods, and the disruption would be immense if they were to be customs checks. not only for the direct importand customs checks. not only for the direct import and export of british and european goods, but also for british industries relying on supply chains, the car industry is a very good example, they would very quickly find it difficult to turn a profit if there were customs checks with the eu. that is really what the majority of british businesses are calling for with a few small

exceptions only. thank you for joining us, from brussels. as we we re joining us, from brussels. as we were talking, we have breaking news coming in on the coronavirus. until now, there had not been any cases despite more than 160 people being tested that right now we have just had news from chief medical officer for england, who says two patients in england to members of the same family have tested positive for coronavirus. two patients in england have tested positive for coronavirus. that is all we have on that right now. worth mentioning that right now. worth mentioning that was expected. health authorities have repeatedly said there was a risk, high likelihood, that coronavirus cases would happen in the uk. of course, 18 plus countries around the world have already had cases and in a couple human to human transmission, but no

deaths outside of china up until this point. more on that as we get it and we will be talking to our health editor very shortly. right now, the weather. grey skies with ten in folkestone, sunshine at the moment, but for all, grey ten in folkestone, sunshine at the moment, but forall, grey skies ten in folkestone, sunshine at the moment, but for all, grey skies or not, incredibly mild start to the day. temperatures in double figures. going up further under south—westerly winds. some rain to go with it. heavy bursts spreading through the midlands towards the end of the morning. after lunch, towards east anglia and the south—east. sky is bright and further north. not too bad in scotland and northern ireland. not as windy as yesterday. but the winds could touch gail. ——

touch gale force at times. showers continue across scotland through the night, becoming more expensive, into northern ireland. starting the weekend on a mild note. simon will have more on the weak forecast through the morning. —— weekend forecast. hello this is bbc news with carrie gracie. the headlines: brexit countdown — in just a few hours' time the uk will be leaving the european union after 47 years. the prime minister will hold a cabinet meeting in sunderland — the first place to officially back brexit — and will make a speech saying brexit is "not an end but a beginning." but the issue is still dividing opinion. finally, so happy! i'm just so happy it's finally done and they finally listened to what we want. i've fallen out with people over this. i don't think those friendships are going to come back. and in the next few moments — we'll be hearing from scotland's first minister —

nicola sturgeon. and our other main stories — the world health organization declares the corona virus a global emergency as the outbreak continues to spread outside china. in two cases are declared in the uk. asi as ijust mentioned, two cases confirmed in the uk. two members of the same family. we will have more on that shortly. in fact, i think we can speak to hugh pym right now. so it was expected there would be cases and here they are? absolutely, we have had cases in france and germany and last night in italy. now public health officials and ministers have been saying consistently that cases here were very likely, given the

international spread of this new strain of coronavirus and we have just had confirmation from the department of health and social care, there are two confirmed cases in the uk. they have not said where they are or where they will be treated or are being treated. we should bear in mind there have been 161 tests that have proved negative but these are the first two confirmed cases in the uk and we await further details. there is a briefing from the department of health shortly with more on that. obviously, one of the key questions will be, had one of those cases come from fulham. as far as we know, so far there has only been a small number of cases of human to human transmission outside china? that's right, the fact that have been human to human transmission is outside china is one of the reasons the world health organization elevated

this to a global health emergency status yesterday. what officials have been doing about tracing people, there were about 1500 people who had flown in from wuhan into heathrow over two weeks before last week and they have been trying to trace them. they managed to ascertain that 900 were clear or had left the uk, so they were trying to trace 600. but we don't know whether the two cases are amongst those who have flown in from wuhan, or whether somebody has picked it up elsewhere and come into the uk. we don't know at the moment how these two cases contracted this new strain of coronavirus. it is worth pointing out that in his statement, the chief medical officer for england, says that after confirming the cases, he says the nhs is extremely well

prepared and used to managing infections. we are already working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients had to prevent further spread. that will be a matter of concern to many people? yes, contact tracing is something that is difficult. trying to work out who these individuals have come into contact with in the last week or so. the incubation period is two weeks, so you would have to trace contact back across that time. that is a lwa ys back across that time. that is always difficult. but france and germany have been in this situation for the last week or so and their health systems have been well prepared for dealing with this, to try to ensure that it doesn't spread any further, if at all possible. but the chief medical officer was involved with other officials in dealing with ebola cases that came into the uk treated in london. he

has incredible expertise there aren't other hospitals in dealing with isolating patients. it is early days but the death rate from coronavirus, the new strain in china has been relatively low. there is every chance, we heard in australia there were cases of people in australia who had the new strain who had recovered. going back to something you said a moment ago that there were 600 individuals, the authorities were still trying to trace. now that we have confirmed cases in the uk, that will only increase the sense of urgency when it comes to tracing these individuals who come back. because now we know people can be infected while they don't appear to have any symptoms of the virus? that is right. this is one of the concerns about this new strain of

coronavirus, it is a symptomatic common symptoms during that two—week period. so people may have arrived at heathrow with no symptoms at all, gone their separate ways and then not picked up symptoms for a little while afterwards and have been coming into contact with people. i don't think there is any question about the urgency in tracing these people, it has been going on the last week. they started off with 1500 and have managed to ascertain 900, or they have moved on or they don't have any symptoms of the virus. but they do say they are doing all they can through border force information, flight information and tracing people who have come into the uk from wuhan in the last couple of weeks. just talk us the last couple of weeks. just talk us through the difference,

medically, clinically of this virus from other global health scares we have seen, the difference between coronavirus, 2019, sars for example which also came from china? well, with sars, in fact the number of this new strain of coronavirus, the number of cases globally is now slightly above sars, but the death rate, although it is too early to start making firm conclusions about the mortality rate, the number of deaths is lower than sars. quite a lot lower. the symptoms are, fever, respiratory symptoms leading to pneumonia. so quite similar to other viruses. and coronaviruses are well known, other strains are well known and there are drugs for them. this isa and there are drugs for them. this is a new strain of coronavirus and the worry is, there are no drugs and

there is no vaccine at the moment and there is this human to human transmission that is going on outside china as well as having developed quite rapidly in china. just to go back to the statement we got from the chief medical officer, it is also worth noting there is no intention to identify those patients, nor to identify their whereabouts? i can understand why thatis whereabouts? i can understand why that is the case because they want to avoid a lot of media focus on two individual hospitals. it has to be said, there are half a dozen or more hospitals in the uk which are very well geared up to dealing with patients who are highly infectious. isolating them, giving them care and ensuring staff are well trained on protective equipment and dealing with the sort of thing. ebola cases

we re with the sort of thing. ebola cases were dealt with at the royal free hospital, so there is a lot of expertise. inevitably, these things start appearing and there is speculation where these patients are. iam speculation where these patients are. i am sure all health staff would make it clear, they can get on with theirjob of treating these patients who have got every chance of being successfully treated and then released from hospital when they are free of the virus in due course. we are just watching pictures of protective efforts inside china and of the safety equipment and clothing worn by those who are potentially coming into contact with the virus. it is worth pointing out that inside china, medics have, not many, but a couple have actually died from the virus and from coming into contact with patients with the virus? that is

absolutely right. it illustrates the risk that if infection control is not absolutely rigorous, it has obviously been very difficult in china, given spread of it and the number of cases, it is very difficult, may be for medical staff to observe fastidious and rigorous protection measures. but, that is an u nfortu nate protection measures. but, that is an unfortunate consequence, but as i say, health staff in the uk and indeedin say, health staff in the uk and indeed in china now and other countries, are well briefed on how virulent this virus is and they need to observe very, very strict measures in terms of protective equipment when you are looking after a patient in isolation. there is that expertise here in the nhs in the uk. let's just that expertise here in the nhs in the uk. let'sjust take a look at the uk. let'sjust take a look at the statement itself again because there may be viewers joining the statement itself again because there may be viewersjoining us. this is from the chief medical

officer, saying we can confirm two patients in england who are members of the same family have tested family for coronavirus. the patients are receiving specialist nhs care and we are using tried and tested infection protection procedures. the nhs is extremely well prepared and used to managing infections and are working rapidly to identify any contacts the patients had to prevent further spread. we have been preparing for uk cases of coronavirus and we have robust measures in place and we are continuing to work closely with the world health organization and the international community as the african china develops to ensure we are ready for all eventualities. so when the professor says we are ready for all eventualities, what are the all eventualities? all eventualities means more cases, tracing contacts

and finding they are unwell, discovering there are more people, through this attempt to get hold of the 600, who have flown in from wuhan and the fact that cases continue to develop. they will hope very much they are kept to a small number. it is interesting that it is two members of the same family. they would have flown to the uk together, whether somebody came into the uk and had a family member here in the uk already and the virus has been transmitted from the individual to another. there will be a need to protect patient confidentiality and iam sure protect patient confidentiality and i am sure they will want to avoid any huge focus on individual hospitals. it seems possible if they

are from the same family they will be treated at the same hospital, with the capability to deal with highly infectious diseases and with more than one isolation bed, which they have available to deal with more than one case. it is probably worth saying that we have seen some criticism, not a whole lot, but some criticism, not a whole lot, but some criticism of uk authorities in terms of flights coming back from china and what some see as a not sufficiently rigorous approach to dealing with passengers, making sure health services are in contact with health services are in contact with health services, not now, but several days ago when more of these individuals might have been fanning out across the country? yes, i have heard that criticism. you go back to last wednesday, ten days ago and that was when the last flight from wuhan came into heathrow. that

morning, the department for health said they were going to have officials at the airport to meet people coming in and to give them advice, to look for people with symptoms. let them continue on their way and give them a number to call if they felt unwell. that has been criticised. it stopped at that moment. why were they not... sorry, we are having a problem with your line, we didn't catch your last couple of sentences, can you go back to that moment you are describing? the last flight from wuhan was ten days ago, last wednesday. the department of health announced they would have officials at the airport at heathrow to meet passengers, give them advice and look for anyone who was unwell. but that has been criticised. why were they not stopped, why were people not tested? the trouble with testing is, they could be people not showing any symptoms. do you test 300 people, all of whom appear to be perfectly

well at that point? actually, the virus would not necessarily have shown up, it might have been incubating. i think criticising the government for not carrying out tests on that last flight ten days ago, i think it's a bit unfair. they have been trying to trace these 1500 people. that was announced on friday. yes, should there be more preparations slightly ahead of last wednesday? that is the point that has been made by a few people. but the situation has developed internationally, very rapidly. the who last week decided not to declare a global health emergency, they only did yesterday. things are moving fast and the nhs and the government would argue, it has put in place the right preparations now. many thanks for that, it is very helpful. we will come back to that story in the

course of the next few minutes, but right now we are going back to brexit. ever since the uk voted to leave the european union, we have been speaking to businesses about what they need to know about the future. today the future arrives, and our business presenter, ben thompson, is in northern ireland to find out the mood there. the irish border issue, one of the most controversial elements of the brexit negotiations and big questions about what it would mean for businesses like this. this is not far from the border. it makes sporting goods and sells them all over the world but just sporting goods and sells them all over the world butjust to get the products to customers, this stuff has to cross the border eight times before a finished product gets to the customers who need it. they have a very close eye on what goes on over the next 11 months. the 11 months of the transition period. he is the boss, hello two. give me a sense of what you are thinking now because not a lot changes for you does it? but you have an eye on the next 11 months on how you can run

your business? nothing changes for us. for us it is relief there will be no hard border. there is going to be no hard border. there is going to be no hard border. there is going to be no customs or duties going from north to south. still not 100% sure because 80% of our business goes south. the uncertainty has gone, but thinking ahead while this deal works out. but i don't think it will make any difference to us. we're just delighted there isn't going to be a ha rd delighted there isn't going to be a hard border. give us a sense of how much stuff crosses that border each day because we have talked about the raw materials you need to make your product, but your staff live on both sides the border? a lot of my staff travel across the border on a daily basis. we work 24—hour shift here as well so we are moving all day long and all night long. in terms of our

goods, we even need 350 yards of fabric and it has to be shipped back and forward to the guide and then back to here to make the garments and then the process starts from here. a busy time, nice to see you. that is one view, so concerned about workers, but also getting access to the raw materials they need. just to show you, this is what the finished items look like, sold all over the world. but what are other businesses contending with? other issues. good morning to you, you make car seats for kids and one of the things you wa nt for kids and one of the things you want is answers about regulation, you have got to keep an eye on what my change for you in terms of what you make? absolutely. we have an inflata ble you make? absolutely. we have an inflatable car booster seat so there will be a significant amount of compliance around that. when it is

regulated under the un regulation, it doesn't mean the uk will not bring out another regulation as well. i know it takes such a long time for any regulations to be put in force, but that is a significant worry for us in the industry. we look at the deadline today, 11 o'clock the uk officially leave the european union, what are your most pressing thoughts about what you need to do next? i know you say you leave at 11 o'clock, but i don't think we will know the impact of this for about ten years. i want to make sure we can continue to export frictionless lee, so we can export because almost 1% of our sales are export driven. there aren't enough people in northern ireland to sell to and we must sell outside in order to and we must sell outside in order to grow the economy. that is so important for us. it is nice to see you, thanks very much. they have a sense of our business is contending with here, what they are trying to

get a nswe rs with here, what they are trying to get answers to. that 11 month transition period begins at 11 o'clock this evening. lots of questions, as yet, not many answers. so what is changing today, he is chris morris. yes, the country is still much divided over brexit, but there is no doubt that today is a landmark, a turning point, if you like, in our recent history. after 47 years as part of the european community and then the european union, from nine countries then to 28 countries now, at 11 o'clock tonight, the uk becomes the first one to leave. we are out. and that part of the referendum promise will be fulfilled. a huge symbolic moment. but is that really brexit done, as the prime minister said? well, it depends on your point of view. to begin with, almost nothing will change. the most visible difference will be in the european institutions. from tomorrow, there were no longer be any british meps

at the european parliament. there will be no british commissioner in brussels. and no ukjudges at the european court ofjustice. apart from that, all the eu's rules and regulations will continue to apply in the uk until the end of the year. that's what they are calling the transition period. it means the uk will still be in the eu single market and the customs union, so trade will go on exactly as before. we will still make the same budget payments to brussels and still follow the rulings of the european court. and free movement of people in both directions will continue. if any of those eu rules change during the transition, the uk won't have a say in how that happens. the other big difference is that once brexit day is done, formal trade negotiations can finally begin with both the eu and other countries around the world like the united states. it is a massive task. absolutely vital for jobs up and in the country. but the timetable for getting a good deal with the eu is incredibly tight

because the government insists it will not extend the transition period. so, you haven't heard the last of brexit, not by a long way. we also need to negotiate new agreements with the eu on things like security, the transfer of data and scientific research. and we need to pass a host of domestic laws and introduce new policies on things like agriculture, fisheries and immigration. it's all going to keep politicians and officials busy for years to come. so, while we know we are leaving today, no one can be quite sure where we are likely to end up. now we are going back to the corona viruses and the confirmation that there have been two members of the same family confirmed to have the

virus. let's talk to a doctor from keele university. the statement from the chief medical officer went on to say they will be receiving specialist care. what will that care look like? hello, thank you. that ca re look like? hello, thank you. that care will be in one of the specialised containment hospitals in the uk. it will be mainly based around monitoring, but also treatment for some of the complications which can arrive from the virus, things like pneumonia. we understand as well, from the chief medical officer's statement, that there is a search now on to find any people with whom those two individuals have had contact in recent days? that is going to be a serious undertaking and they will have to test those contacts? yes,

they can monitor them if symptoms develop. it is called contact tracing, to try and prevent onward spread of infection. you track down everyone, individuals who is infected have had contact with and check them for symptoms and may be ring fenced them to prevent onward spread. the most important thing to emphasise at this stage, there has been no human to human transmission in the uk. both of these individuals have returned from wuhan and it appears they have picked up the infection there. human transmission around the globe seems to be limited. the rest of the public is extraordinarily low from these cases. having cases appear in the uk is quite expected, i would say. and the risk to the general public remains incredibly low despite the uk cases. although, it is also worth

pointing out there are several hundred people who have recently returned to the uk and who the authorities are still trying to trace? yes, that is correct. that is a matter of course and a precautionary measure to check if those people are symptomatic or do actually test positive for corona virus. it is important to emphasise there are lots of things which cause symptoms which look so mental to coronavirus. things like the common cold looked like the early stages of coronavirus. just because people have symptoms which appear to be coronavirus, it doesn't mean that it is in fact coronavirus, it is far more likely to be something that is widely within the population like the common cold. the important thing to emphasise... thank you very much for giving us that update. we do

have to go to the weather. it has been a mild start and temperatures in england and wales we re temperatures in england and wales were in double figures. the air is coming in from the south—west. you can see a number of weather fronts across the uk. it is this cold front which isn't bringing cold air but it is bringing in some rain. you can see the rain this morning from the rainfall radar. moving further south and east woods and further showers towards the west of scotland. but lots of cloud across the uk. that is the scene in the centre of london through this morning. pretty low cloud. the rain will move into the south of wales taking up into the far south—east of england. there will be some sunshine across eastern scotland.

it is mild, temperatures 12 to 14 degrees may 15 celsius in the north—east of wales and the vale of york. very warm for the time of year. tonight, we lose the rain across the south—east and further showers across scotland tonight. a fair mods of cloud, but some breaks developing here and there. still mild and temperatures will be no lower than around six to nine, maybe 10 degrees. we stop their weekend on a mild note. we have a weather system moving across southern areas bringing outbreaks of rain. still some rain across the far north—west of scotland. so quite breezy during saturday but the focus of the rain and showers will be across northern ireland and into scotland. a little bit of rain moving across southern coastal counties across the day but otherwise it is looking largely dry, sunshine and showers edging into northern england. such are behind that in the north. temp is down a little bit nine, 11 celsius so not

as warm as today but still relatively mild. as we go into sunday, another weather system will push north and east woods and that will bring rain in the morning, pushing northwards and a bit drier and brighter across the south.

hello, it's friday, it's ten o'clock, and it's brexit day, i'm joanna gosling. some breaking news in the last hour. two patients in the uk test postive for coronavirus. we'll bring you the latest throughout the programe and hear from one man who has flown back and quarantined himself in a british hotel room. i have no choice but to...to leave my parents behind. it is a very difficult decision. so, this is it. we are, finally, out of the eu in exactly 13 hours' time. how did we get here? we've heard from these people many times over the last few months as the brexit drama unfolded. how are they feeling?